Wines £30-£45

The Gómez Cruzado winery dates back to 1886 when Angel Gómez de Arteche started to produce and bottle his own wine in Haro, at the very heart of Rioja Alta. This was in the day when the wine trade between Rioja and France passed along the Tudela-Bilbao line, and the key Rioja wineries were located around the station of Haro. The winery sits just 100m from the station to this day.

Fiona and Niall Shiner had been living in Hong Kong for 18 years when they returned to Britain to take on Niall's parents' property at Amberley. Niall continued with his career, but mother-of-three Fiona decided to plant some vines at the property following a comment by her mother-in-law that the Romans could have grown vines there. The first acre was planted in 2007, with the acquisition of an old cattle farm on the (really quite steep) hill opposite and converting an old barn into a winery in 2016. A third vineyard side since been acquired taking the current area under vine (but not all producing grapes yet) to 58 acres (23ish hectares), still firmly in the ‘tiny’ bracket.

A delightful sparkling Rosé with a pretty pale salmon colour, and a persistent, pale mousse. The aroma is inviting with delicate macerated strawberries and cream, so soft yet persistent presence on the palate, with minerality underpinning red berry fruit and orange zest

Weingut Horst Sauer is named after its owner. Both Horst and his daughter Sandra (who joined the winery in 2004) are winemakers at their 37 hectare estate in Franken - situated near Wurzburg (between Frankfurt and Nuremberg). Their vineyards are focused around the ‘Erste Lagen’ (prime) sites of Escherndorfer Lump and Escherndorfer Fürstenberg. Escherndorfer Lump is a steep south-facing slope protected from cold north-eastern winds, with a top layer of limestone-rich soil.

This is the exquisite Escherndorf am Lumpen - a ‘Grosse Lage’ vineyard plot (a classification given to the best German vineyard sites) first recorded in 1655. This is on the steepest slopes of the Escherndorfer Lump vineyard where the vines are over 30 years old.

Franken Riesling is considered to be the most masculine expression of the variety from Germany (in stark contrast to the femininity of the Mosel) yet from the grand cru (GG site) this full bodied, bone dry Riesling is impressive in its structure and concentration.

Selected from selected blocks from the best and oldest of Esk Valley's vineyards, the "Great Dirt" collection are veru much chief winemaker Gordon Russell's pet passion, made to age gracefully and showcase the terroir of the different sites

Aromas of rose petal, red berries and grilled meats are compelling. The wine is round and mouthfilling with a red fruited profile, but a firm tannic backbone provides complexity and length